The Darkest Powers is a fun addition to the urban fantasy genre. It tells the story of a group of super-powered kids and their distrust for adults. This story mixes cliches with realistic characters and plots. Its a series that will have you on the edge of your seat and laughing at Kelley Armstrong's humor. Goodreads gives this series a 4.1366 and I give this series 4 stars.
Kelley Armstrong’s The Reckoning is the third and final book in the Darkest Powers trilogy. This book picks up after soon after the events of the second book. Chloe, Simon, Derek and Tori are living with Andrew, a friend of Simon and Derek’s dad. Andrew leads his own group that is against the Edison Group. He seems to genuinely care about the experimented supernaturals and even recruits adult supernaturals to help develop our protagonists’ powers, but something seems off. Someone is hiding secrets and a creeping sense of treachery puts everyone on edge. Chloe has developed a lot over the course of the series. She started The Summoning with a bad stutter and little self-confidence. Over the course of the series she has gained self-confidence and lessened her stuttering while also gaining a level of control over her powers. Although her powers tend to be uncontrollable and erratic, Chloe has become more comfortable and more familiar with them. Her core personalities of kindness, cleverness, and, at times, naïveté stay strong throughout the series. Her kinder characteristics can sometimes overshadow her bravery and determination, but she has proven several times that she is willing to stand strong with her friends. The Reckoning was a good closing book. It tied up most of the loose ends, but left enough unknown that the world could be built on if Kelley Armstrong decides to connect it to her Darkness Rising series. This new series is set in the same world but includes an entirely new cast of characters. The Reckoning’s plot was more similar to The Summoning than it was to The Awakening. Both The Summoning and The Reckoning are set in a relatively unchanging environment. The main cause of conflict is the creeping sense of unease and distrust in the adults supervising them. The Awakening has a wider variety of settings and its plot revolves around the teenagers running for their lives. The Reckoning actually seemed more lax than the previous installments because the sense of dread from the first installment and the urgency to run of the second installment were lessened. The book itself seemed weaker, yet it wasn’t boring. Exciting confrontations and plot twists kept the story moving as Kelley Armstrong’s humor kept the story from dragging. The growing romance between Chloe and Derek is also handled well. Their relationship plays off the similar stereotypes where the one the girl wants is also the one she can’t have, but it develops slowly. Not too much time is devoted to romance, which is great because you rarely notice the love triangle and the clichés. In all, it was an enjoyable read that finished the series, but left room for future installments. I give this 391 page book 4 stars. The Awakening is the second book in Kelley Armstrong’s Darkest Powers Trilogy. After their failed escape attempt, Rae and Chloe are, once again, at the mercy of the Lyle House’s staff. Derek and Simon managed to escape, which means the adults must rely on Chloe to find them. After failing to fool the kids with fake diagnoses, the Lyle House’s staff introduces themselves as a small part of the Edison Group. The Edison Group claims to try and make life better for supernaturals like Chloe and Simon using science, but Chloe soon learns about their darker intentions. Kids like Chloe and Derek were experimented on in order to increase their powers, and those who fail to control their enhanced abilities, wind up dead. Chloe soon breaks out of the Edison Group and is once again on the run. The sweet and shy Chloe we’ve known is growing up. Many of her experiences break her down, but also build up her confidence. While she is not ruthless, she has gotten better at handling dangerous situations. Sadly, her control of her enhanced necromancer powers has not increased. Now that she is away from the Lyle House, she is seeing even more ghosts, but some of these new ghosts have more hostile intentions. She has little control of her ability to raise the dead. There is still plenty of room for her to grow in the following installment. The Awakening is much more exciting than its predecessor. The plot is always moving and points of action are frequent in this book. No longer isolated in the Lyle House, the characters must face the dangers of living on the street. The writing in this book is much more fun and sarcastic when compared to the previous book. Chloe still treats her life like a movie which puts an interesting third person perspective on a book written in first person. While some of the characters develop, others stay the same with flat and 2-Dimensional personalities. In all, I give this 357 page book 4 stars. Kelley Armstrong’s The Summoning is the first book in the “Darkest Powers” series. Chloe Sanders is a fifteen year old girl. After running around her high school being chased by a ghost, Chloe is sent to the Lyle House for "special kids". While there she makes an attempt to recover from her horrifying experience by trying to deny the fact the she saw a ghost. As time goes on, she begins to accept the fact that she is a necromancer. She soon notices that she isn’t the only one in the Lyle House with special powers and the nurses their may be up to something more sinister than what meets the eye. Chloe works to uncover the secrets of the Lyle House and come to terms with her terrifying power. Chloe Sanders likes to think of herself as a normal girl. She went to an art school and dreamed of becoming a movie director. Because of this, when faced with challenges, she tries to remove herself from the situation and think of the problem as if it were an event in a movie. Sadly, she rarely takes her own advice and often assumes that what happens in theaters can never happen in real life. It took an annoyingly long time for her to accept that she was a supernatural, but it pays off in the end. Kelley Armstrong’s The Summoning is a great read. Waiting for Chloe to accept her powers was boring, but the plot kicked up after that. The majority of the book takes place in a group home, so there are a limited amount of characters. A good portion of these characters fit into common stereotypes with only minor changes to fit the setting. Many of the adults act the same and are viewed to same by the protagonist. The plot moves slowly at first, but as the mystery of the Lyle House comes together, the stakes are raised and the book becomes much more interesting. I give this 390 page book 4 stars. |
Darkest PowersIn the Darkest Powers series, there are a group of people known as "supernaturals". They range from necromancers to witches, to werewolves. A group of scientist are experimenting on supernaturals to enhance their gifts, but the results aren't always positive. Archives
April 2016
Categories |